Air quality in intensive poultry houses significantly affects respiratory health and welfare. Ammonia, dust, and pathogens create a challenging environment for both birds and farm workers.
Broiler chickens spend their entire 35-42 day lives in houses where air quality progressively deteriorates as litter accumulates and ammonia concentrations rise. The respiratory and ocular damage caused by high ammonia is painful and persistent. Research has shown that many commercially housed broilers have chronic eye problems and respiratory pathology that would be readily apparent in individual animals but are missed in large flocks. Good litter management — maintaining dry, friable litter through ventilation and moisture control — is the most effective welfare intervention and also improves production outcomes.